Myst & Sirocca : Testing The Waters
by SanguisAnima
Summary: Showcases another OC (other will be showin' up later), and minor appearance by Ruby Rose; more appearances later on. Rated T due to language (otherwise this would've been a K or K plus ). Thanks to koryandrys for the tip!
1. 1: The Clear Winds Awaken

A/N : I've seen lots of Cardin vs whoever... So I thought, why not Russel this time, just for a change?

Also, the lines that Myst recites : I DO NOT OWN THEM NOR DID I MAKE THEM. I saw them in a humor blog (I think it was 9gag), and I felt it would be perfect for Myst. Oh, the very last line is an actual verse, taken from the book of Ezekiel chapter 25, verse 17. (Google it if you want to see how it was actually written).

Initially I planned for Myst to have another weapon... But decided I'll leave that for another time.

I was also planning to release this around the time the Vytal Fair came about. Sadly I got too excited and ended up releasing it before their intended date... Oh well. *shrugs*

Oh, this is Rated T due to language.

**DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN RWBY. ALL CREDIT GOES TO (RWBYGOD) MONTY OUM AND ROOSTERTEETH.**

Without further ado, let us enjoy the spectacle.

* * *

Myst wandered about Beacon's halls. Where in Vytal was Sirocca again? The Faunus girl kept on slipping out and getting herself in trouble; one of these days, Myst thought to herself, that recklessness will be the end of the tiger girl.

She found herself in the cafeteria, and spied the red-cloaked leader of Team RWBY, seated and enjoying her breakfast. She noted that the younger girl was uncharacteristically alone, the rest of her team nowhere in sight. Figuring it was as good a place to ask as any, she approached Ruby and cleared her throat. "Good morrow, Lady Ruby. Perchance you know whence my Faunus friend hath lost herself today?"

Even before she could finish, Myst could already hear raucous laughter behind her. "So that's the foreigner who brought her pet cat to Beacon! Maybe they keep other wildlife in their houses too, whaddya guys think?"

Ruby smiled at her, the look on her face slightly souring at the voices. "Just let them be, they're jerks all the time." The red-haired girl then turned back to Myst, an apologetic look in her face. "Don't mind them, you've got better things to do than worry yourself about them..."

Myst took a slow deep breath. "It cannot be helped. As my father would say, 'there hath need for nature to balance itself'. The world simply - AH!"

Myst was cut off mid-sentence as she felt someone poke her right at the small of her back, dangerously low on her waist. "Gee guys, she's soft - whoever said they're all hard women over there?" Russel poked Myst again, eliciting an angry gasp from Myst.

The flaxen-haired girl spun and readied her arm for a backhanded slap, and almost let her hand fly on Jaune, who was hurrying closer from the door. "Whoa whoa, easy there!"

Myst blushed in shame. "I-I beg thy pardon, sir," she lowered both hands to her chest and bowed slightly. "I-It was not my intention to harm thee, rather that uncouth -"

"Ooh, whaddya bet she sleeps with that cat in her bed? Oh, and did you hear how she sounded? I'm guessing she's really good, if you know what I mean," Russel was chuckling, already back with his team. Oddly, only Sky and Dove were there, their tall leader Cardin Winchester nowhere to be seen.

Myst's patience was wearing thin. First, Sirocca was missing. Now she was being indirectly insulted in public, and with an audience to boot!

Ruby noted with a worried face that Myst's fists were clenching as she lowered them to her sides. "U-Umm, you can just ignore him, half the time no one listens to him anyway-"

"And I'm gonna bet she does it with that cat, I mean, it's probably an Amazon thing, you know?" Russel's voice started to get too loud, at least for Myst.

Myst had already decided she would not allow any more, upon hearing the last words from the mohawk. "Thou there! Thou, the one with hair that would make a barnyard raised rooster hang his head in shame when comparing thy cockscomb1! How dare thee speak of something thou hath no knowledge about!"

Russel turned his head towards her, a look of contempt easily readable. "Oh, so the cat-loving butch has something to say... Well, what do you want to admit to - oof!"

Myst never let Russel finish speaking; she had crossed the distance between them in three fast strides, and swung her fist up to his stomach in a fast uppercut. She kept her arm in place as Russel doubled up in pain, surprise, and breathlessness. "Thy slanderous words have no place in this esteemed institution. I know that my words shalt not reach thee, so I have a proposition that thou wilt understand. Meet me later and we shalt settle this in fair combat. Bring them along if that is thy wish - I care not." She dug her fist a little further up before letting Russel crumple to the floor, gasping for air.

Myst simply huffed, blushing bright in anger, ignoring Ruby, Jaune, and the rest of Team RWBY and JNPR who got wind of the commotion.

Later, Myst stood alone on the stage, blue eyes scanning the populace. She spotted Team CRDL, this time with their leader, who looked somewhat hurt as each step had a slight limp. No matter, he won't be any trouble.

She also spied Teams RWBY and JNPR by the door. Not like she would be asking for any help; after all, she was next in line for high priesthood. She can handle this, diplomatically or otherwise.

Russel climbed up the stage and stared her down. "You know, there's gotta be payback for what you did earlier." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dove and Sky flank her. "You know what to do, guys."

___There goes the diplomatic option. _Myst simply sighed, then spoke loud enough for everyone present to hear.

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities..." She dodged in time as Dove lunged from her rear left, giving him a whack behind the head for good measure.

"... Of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men." Myst sidestepped Sky and tripped him up in one fluid motion, sending him barreling to Dove.

"Blessed is he who in the name of charity and goodwill..." Myst leaned back as Russel's hand shot out for her hair; her staff snaked out from under him, cleanly whacking his chin and making him suddenly face the ceiling.

"... Shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness." Myst spun around, going low and her staff making contact with Russel's calf. This made him lose balance and fall on the seat of his pants with a loud grunt.

"For he is truly his brother's keeper, and the finder of lost children..." Myst continued spinning, standing up again as she ended the turn.

"... And I wilt strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger." Her staff whistled in the air again as Sky made another attempt to grab her, this time she connected with the blue-haired boy's forearm, shoulder, and the back of his neck, making him fall down on Russel, who was still on the ground.

"... Those who attempt to poison and destroy my brethren..." Myst did the same with Dove, who aimed for her waist.

"... And thou wilt know My Name is the LORD when I lay My vengeance against thee." She lowered her tone considerably, pointing her staff at the three fallen boys on the stage, eyes radiating cold fire.

"Yeow. Looks like someone made the mistake of pissing off Mud-Eater... Look at 'er face."

Teams RWBY and JNPR turned to the space between them. Where there was an empty spot earlier, now stood a tiger Faunus, one hand behind her head and the other picking her nose with her pinky. Blake spoke, addressing the newcomer. "You know her?"

The Faunus grinned. "'Fcourse! That kick-ass girl you see over there is my best friend! Oi, Mud-Eater! Over here!" she yelled, waving both arms in the air.

Cardin's eyes widened at the voice. ___Oh f*ck. Not her__._ He turned at the same time as Myst did, both looking at the Faunus. Myst made her way to the tiger girl while Cardin quickly climbed up the stage and helped his team get out of sight as discreetly as possible.

The wide grin immediately gave way to a hurt scowl as three quick whacks landed on the faunus' head. "Yeow! What?!"

Myst's eyes were hard. "Do not play the innocent with me, Sirocca Feanor. From whence did thou come, and why didst thou not leave a note, at the very least?"

Sirocca's eyes were twinkling. "Eh, just had a li'l... Fun." Her grin had a slightly dark undertone as her sight followed Cardin Winchester, but said no more. Myst sighed in exasperation as she grabbed the faunus by the scruff of her mane and pulled her away, yelps and high-pitched mews mixing together.

* * *

1Quoting Wikipedia: "A comb is a fleshy growth or crest on the top of the head of gallinaceous birds, such as turkeys, pheasants, and domestic chickens. Its alternative name cockscomb (spelling variations abound) is because combs are generally larger on males than on females (a male gallinaceous bird is called a cock)."

Basically, Myst was likening Russel's mohawk to a rooster's comb. No reference at all to Roosterteeth, mind you. It was just the first thing that came to mind.

Oh, and for some reason the superscripts didn't show up correctly the first time... I wonder why. :\


	2. 2: Let Sleeping Tigers Lie

A/N : One of my friends (who reads my stuff even in the draft stages) saw my little fic between my OC Myst and Russel, and pointed out that Cardin needed his 'fix' from the Faunus Sirocca. At first I was against it, having no idea at first, until she blasted one of Lindsey Stirling's songs close by.

Damn her, she knew my weakness. Now I have several scenes swirling in my mind.

**DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN RWBY. ALL CREDIT GOES TO (RWBYGOD) MONTY OUM AND ROOSTERTEETH.**

Without further ado, let us enjoy the spectacle.

* * *

Sirocca woke uncharacteristically early. Myst, who was normally up before daybreak, was still snoring lightly from under her blankets.

_Huh... Mud-Eater is still out cold... That's new._ The Faunus girl yawned hugely, then slid off the bed while stretching her arms upwards, ignoring the blanket that came along with her. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she stood in front of the window. The stretching felt good on her arms; soon she was arching her back slightly, then followed by her feet going tiptoe.

Sirocca held this pose for ten seconds before slowly easing back to normal. "Mmh. I'm bored," she deadpanned to no one in particular.

As part of her regular morning ritual, Sirocca took a few slow breaths then unsheathed the claws in her hands and feet. She did a few quick jabs and swipes, shadowboxing for a few minutes before re-sheathing the sharp protrusions back into her bare fingers and toes. She quickly changed to her blouse, pants, and robe, making sure to secure her twin boomerangs to her back.

Softly making her way out of the allocated room, Sirocca quickly made note of the majestic inner halls of Beacon. Not much different from the Order's inner halls, she mused. From here she could hear the bustle of cooks busily preparing breakfast three floors down. Undoubtedly, Beacon's chefs and the Order's galleymasters have been up all night and trading secrets and techniques, and will be showcasing them later during mealtime.

The thought of food made Sirocca's mouth water. However her strict self discipline immediately stopped her from pursuing that train of thought, and she contented herself to wandering around.

It was almost daybreak when she noticed she didn't recognize the walls. "Eh... Oh tarnation. Lost again." Muttering half to herself, she turned to try and retrace her steps when she was stopped by a voice from somewhere in the dimly lit hall.

"Hey, didn't you see the sign that no freaks are allowed here?"

Sirocca's temper immediately flared, knowing it was directed at her obvious Faunus heritage, but she managed to calm herself somewhat before turning to whoever spoke. Her enhanced vision showed her a taller male, obviously heavier than her and wore presumably thick armor. "Eh? Says who?" Her tail, however, still flicked roughly, showing her annoyance even though her voice was low and calm.

"Says me." The speaker stepped out from the shadows. He was already indeed clothed in gray armor, with a orange insignia emblazoned on the chest. He was also holding a wicked-looking mace in his right hand, tapping it on his own shoulder. "You'd do well to remember you're in Beacon, kitty cat."

Sirocca's amber eyes narrowed. "I got no idea who you are, _mister_, but you'd also do well to remember you're not talking to _just _a measly little _kitten_," she emphasized the last word a little sarcastically. "Especially that you were supposed to be the more intelligent species, _human_."

The burly guy took a few steps closer, then leaned slightly towards Sirocca. "I don't care that you're not from Beacon, but just remember that you're not in your home turf, _freak_."

Sirocca's eyes glinted. "Wanna prove something, _idiot_?"

He snorted. "Fine, you're on. Outside of Beacon. Now."

"You're SO gonna regret it." Without another word Sirocca vaulted down from the ledge, much to the boy's surprise. Upon landing silently, she immediately broke into a run and awaited the mace-wielder's arrival.

It took him almost ten minutes to get outside. Sirocca was already up on a tree branch, letting her arms and feet dangle down, her tail swaying gently. "Wake me up when you're ready, human." Sirocca called from above, yawning.

"How about… Now?" The boy swung his mace on the tree, shaking it violently. Somehow Sirocca kept her balance and stayed still lounging, and waited until the vibrations stopped before she sighed and dropped to the ground. "I'm giving you another chance to back off, unless you really want to mess with a Winchester."

Sirocca just stood up and poked her ears with her pinky. "Eh? A what now? A winter chester? With a big kitchen whisk on a stick?" She yawned again. "Boring name, boring weapon, boring style. Mud-Eater could prolly whoop yer ass without even trying."

The Winchester boy kicked a rock directly at Sirocca's face, which the Faunus deftly dodged at the last moment. "My name's Cardin, and say it with respect, _freak_."

The Faunus arched an eyebrow at Cardin. "Sure, sure, whatever, card in. Sounds like a superhero transformation trigger or something." She yawned again, stretching her arms upward. "Eh, whatever. Th' name's Sirocca, but I'd rather you call me by my nickname."

In a flash her robe was flying upward, revealing Sirocca's athletic body, obvious through her fitting blouse and pants. "They call me 'Poison Wind' back home, and I'm gonna show you why."

Neither moved for a few seconds. At the exact moment Sirocca's robe touched the ground, both human and Faunus charged at each other. Cardin's mace whistled above, under, and around Sirocca, but never really landing a solid hit. Sirocca, on the other hand, only used her right hand to parry or deflect the human's mace out of the way, always with either a sneer or a laugh.

"Stop dodging and hit me, damnit!" Cardin grit through clenched teeth as the mace thumped on soft ground, still not making any contact with the tiger faunus.

Sirocca was still the bundle of energy, lightly bopping on the balls of her feet and shadowboxing a short distance away. "What, that was it?" She settled on her feet and let a grin crawl on her face. "Okay, my turn."

The faunus closed the distance between them with a quick step, almost too fast for Cardin to follow. The boy blocked the first four consecutive palms to his face with his mace, but failed to notice the right hand snaking from underneath him.

The next thing Cardin knew, he was facing upwards, to the trees. While he was trying to ponder what happened in that half second, the tiger girl's wicked grin was in the periphery of his vision. That reminded him: he was in a fight with a faunus, and he was quite obviously losing with ease.

His head snapped back and the mace went up, but the tiger girl was no longer in front of him. A blur to his right made him turn his head, only for his cheek to meet with a dusty foot. The impact sent him twisting in mid-air, and as soon as his feet touched the ground he felt a knee drive up his stomach, expelling all the air in his lungs and causing his eyes to go wide.

Cardin crashed to a heap on the ground, a cloud of dust flying as Sirocca backstepped a few paces away, still with the crazy grin on her face. "Feh. All bark no bite." She raised her hand up, pointing to the heavens and yelled, "Aaand the winner iiiiiiiiiiis… Sirocca..! Feeeaaaannorrrr!"

Cardin just spat on the ground, going to one knee. "You just got lucky…"

Sirocca grinned at him again. "Is that so? Well, to be fair, I've only used my hands and feet. Can't be fair that I haven't taken out Dextra, right?" Her hand snaked up to her right shoulder and pulled a boomerang-like wooden blade, whirling it easily. "Meet Dextra, my right-hand battle boomerang. I got one more, Sinistra, for my left hand. So, wanna have another go?"

* * *

This is just part one of Sirocca's 'beatdown'. Part 2 will be released probably tomorrow, still ironing out details.


	3. 3: Be Careful What You Wish For

A/N : Aaaaand here we go, probably the last installment for this set. Explaining basically why Sirocca was called "Poison Wind", and what happens if you overstep your bounds.

I present to you, the third chapter for this story.

**DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN RWBY. ALL CREDIT GOES TO (RWBYGOD) MONTY OUM AND ROOSTERTEETH.**

Let the curtain arise!

* * *

Sirocca held the wooden boomerang in her right hand, still keeping her distance from Cardin. "Oi, oi, don't tell me that was it? You're certainly not living up to th' hype you put up, if that's all y' got." A small smirk appeared on her face as the fallen boy got up slowly, grunting with exertion. "There, that's more like it."

"You'll pay for that, _freak_," Cardin grit out through clenched teeth. His grip on the mace was so tight, his knuckles were turning white and the sound of his palm squeezing the grip could be heard. "No one makes a fool out of _me_."

"Oooh, I'm scared... Not." Sirocca mockingly rolled her eyes up. "Jus' drop the tough guy front already. We both know it don't suit ya."

Cardin seemed to pop a vein at this. He bellowed a war cry and charged at the Faunus, bringing his mace down with all the power he could gather.

Sirocca's eyes glinted. "Eh. About time we got serious." Her right arm flashed up, the wooden blade held perpendicular to the human's weapon, blocking the attack completely.

This surprised the human boy. Whereas most others would be either buckling under the pressure, or outright slammed down, the tiger girl was able to stand her ground against him.

He noted she was standing with her right side facing him, left foot placed a little farther back serving to prop herself against his greater bulk, while her right arm held the wooden blade in a reverse-grip.

The next thing he noticed was that he was now slipping to his right. Putting a foot forward to stop his momentum, Cardin diverted the angle of his blow towards Sirocca's midsection. The tiger girl quickly disengaged, flicking her right wrist to let the mace drive itself to the ground instead.

Half a second later Sirocca charged at Cardin again. The human boy barely got his mace up in time to block, but the blow never came. Just as he lowered his mace to see what was going on, Sirocca's weapon slammed to his back, followed by a light kick on the same spot. Cardin wisely used the momentum to take a few extra steps and get on a defensive position, only to be surprised by Sirocca's left hand almost at his face.

He shut his eyes tightly to brace for impact, but he only felt her finger flick the tip of his nose. "One point for Sirocca," she quipped as she stepped back, putting distance between them.

Cardin was now beyond irritated. He sincerely wanted to crush the living daylights out of the tiger girl. "You f... Quit playing around and get serious, freak!"

Sirocca stopped bouncing around by the balls of her feet, her face turning serious. "Oi, careful what you wish for. Mud-Eater herself couldn't stop me when I'm serious, what makes you think **you** could?"

"I swear I am going to beat the life out of you..." Cardin was breathing heavily, trying to suppress his anger enough to be able to fight decently.

The tiger girl merely sighed and shook her head, pulling out the second battle boomerang. "Don't say I didn't warn ya." She shifted her pose to a neutral stance.

The human boy whirled his mace. "And then after I beat you, I'll hunt down your team, and beat them senseless..."

Sirocca froze. _Oh no, he didn't... Threaten them... Did he...?_

Cardin didn't seem to notice as he took a step closer. "And after that, I'll take the fight to your family..."

The tiger girl lowered her arms, a dark edge coming to her voice. _That's it. No more playing around. He just crossed the line._ "Stay. The fuck. Away."

He took the tiger girl's words to mean she was cracking. "Heh, not so tough now, are you... Huh?"

That was when Cardin noticed the slow snarl, and the flickers of Aura coming to life around the Faunus. "I said. Stay. The fuck. Away." Her face slowly came up, and Cardin involuntarily took a step back.

Her face looked like that of a hungry, hunting tiger that had just found its prey. Her behavior was similar, slowly walking around him, each step as softly as a wild beast's and just as tensed up, but never taking her eyes off of him. "No one. Messes. With. My team."

Her grip on the boomerangs tightened. "And no one threatens my family!" She roared, and charged towards the human, her fury showing in her eyes.

Cardin had the sense to call forth his own aura to dampen her blows as he blocked, but to little avail. It was all he could do to prevent direct hits, and even that was becoming difficult.

Finally, her seemingly endless barrage stopped, and he took a deep breath. Half a second later Cardin congratulated himself for doing so, as Sirocca was dashing in circles around him, forcing him to turn every which way, punishing him with a stinging blow to the hips or shins with the flat of her boomerangs if he failed to keep up.

Every now and then he could see a blow coming, and parried it with his mace. However, the human boy found it more and more difficult to keep up with the tiger girl, the longer she kept dancing around him.

Cardin felt his body couldn't keep up any longer. He dropped to one knee, coughing and gasping for air, but unable to do so because of the dust cloud around him. He felt his lungs about to reach their limit; by instinct he tried to crawl his way out to clearer air.

His efforts were in vain as he felt a sudden pressure descend on his back, pinning him in place. He could only groan weakly as he tried to pull away, "Air... Must..."

The human boy felt himself lifted by the neckline of his armor, and thrown bodily some distance away. Even though he landed a little oddly, driving out what little breath was left inside him, he found he was now able to take breaths of air unimpeded.

When he opened his eyes, Sirocca was standing by his head, the edge of her battle boomerangs held against his neck in a scissor formation. "Let this be a lesson to you. Never threaten my team again. Much less my family." She flicked her arms up and the edges danced away from sight. "I will not be so forgiving next time. You're lucky to leave with your limbs intact."

The Faunus started to walk away, but as if to prove her point, she swung both arms outward, then snapped the boomerangs back in place. Seconds later, two branches on either side of Sirocca crashed to the ground as she turned partially, letting Cardin see only part of her profile. "You've been warned. There won't be a second warning."

Sirocca turned and picked up her robe, slinging it over one shoulder, and made her way back inside. Her walk was mostly uneventful, save for a rabbit-eared Faunus almost running into her. "Whoops... Easy there. You alright?" She caught the other Faunus in time, holding her by the shoulders.

The rabbit-eared one gasped as the other Faunus caught her just before she actually ran into her. "Y-Yes... I'm alright - ah!" Her eyes widened as she gasped, catching sight of the other's tiger features.

Sirocca merely chuckled. "Oh, right. Sorry, I'm not looking for a meal, if that's what you're afraid of." She dusted the other Faunus' shoulders off and looked her over. "Well... You look okay, so that's that. Careful next time, ya hear?" Without waiting for a response the tiger girl walked off, finally recognizing the hallways and making it to their allotted room.

"I'm back~" Sirocca began, but found the room empty. "Meh. Oh well." She simply shrugged and took a shower, put on a fresh robe, and wandered out again until she heard the commotion in the great hall.

With nothing better to do, the tiger girl decided to watch. And was pleasantly surprised to see her best friend soundly thrash three humans.

* * *

There you have it.

Reviews, comments, reactions more than welcome. Thanks for putting up with me :P


	4. 4: A Flash of Cognizance - Sirocca

A/N : I'M BAAACK!

So I managed to talk to another fellow FFN writer, xXHawkeye1337Xx, and we got our heads together for a collaboration. Coz why the hell not?

Again and again, as I always say (and I will never tire of saying this):

**DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN RWBY. ALL CREDIT GOES TO (RWBYGOD) MONTY OUM AND ROOSTERTEETH.**

The actors are on stage...

* * *

Sirocca breathed out a disgusted snort. Here she was, left alone to face a pair of massive Ursaj on her own, while her partner and best friend Myst disappeared sometime behind.

The tiger girl didn't really fault the human. After all, she knew she was easily excitable and liable to run off on her own. But as of the moment she had more serious matters to take care of. Case in point, the two looming hulks of Grimm in front of her.

"Tch. You two better stay down," she gripped the two boomerangs in a reverse hold. "I don't have time to play around with ya!" She immediately launched herself towards the one on her left, the wooden blades flashing out in quick succession.

However, somehow she had either missed or misjudged the timing of the strike, and tumbled to the other side, acutely feeling she had hit _nothing_. "Wh... How the...?" The Faunus girl looked up just in time to see two white blurs coming from either side, and its path seemed to be headed exactly where she was.

There was no time to roll out of the way, so the tiger girl grit her teeth and swung both arms out, slightly wincing at the jarring impact on her limbs, but satisfied that she felt a constant pressure coming from them. It meant she had successfully blocked and stood her ground.

She glanced to either side, somehow relieved to see both limbs still attached and gripping the weapons she had hand-carved herself. The two Ursaj seemed to be content on pushing against her, as if challenging Sirocca to a battle of endurance. "So... Why...? I never miss..."

Sirocca's mind instantly went into slow-motion analysis. She knew she had judged the distance correctly, and timed her strike just as perfectly. Nonstop training and drills from the old man back in the Order had drilled it into her body to operate exactly like a frighteningly accurate, poison-laden killing needle, thrown by a deadly marksman. Starting from the time she tensed her legs, her body already knew what to do.

Ten quick steps all at an equal distance of thirty centimeters apart, each footfall spaced at half-second intervals; the launching jump propelled at an angle of thirty-five degrees rising forward, utilizing exactly triple her body weight in force to reach the optimum strike height within half second of ascent, and starting a slight pivot to the left immediately upon getting airborne. At the peak of the jump, where the propulsion starts to drop and reaching the perfect striking height and distance, use the natural tension built up during launch to swing her left arm in a tight closing arc (beginning from her body's vertical axis, to her shoulders, elbows, and ending at her wrist), then following that up with the same movements from the right side of her body. On completion her arms would be crossed in front of her, providing the initial shock absorption on touchdown, then proceeding to a five-point roll ending with her on one knee, ready to either flee or defend as the case may be.

Everything was meticulously, elaborately set up. One tiny change anywhere affected everything else. In this case, Sirocca wasn't expecting to meet nothing but thin air when she struck.

The tiger Faunus' thinking was interrupted when she felt the pressure on both arms slacken. She barely got her arms up in time to block an oncoming paw, but didn't expect there would be a second one almost immediately after it, hitting her in the abdomen squarely.

The tiger girl felt the hit fully, sending her barreling backwards with a mix of a loud growl and hurt meow. "Ugh... That effin' hurt," she spat out darkly while getting back up, starting to get annoyed. Flickers of aura ignited around her as the boomerangs twirled in her grip. "So you wanna play rough. I can do rough."

She channeled her aura into her weapons, the brown of the wood now having a particularly-evil looking, dark purple sheen to it. "In fact, I'm gonna do more than rough."

One of the Ursaj swiped at Sirocca with a large paw. At the last moment, she disappeared from its path and reappeared half a second later in mid-air, directly above its shoulder. Her eyes were bright with fury as she growled out, "Let's see you avoid this!"

Sirocca twisted in mid-air as she descended, her boomerangs held in such a way as to be level with both her shoulder and waist. As she spun, the blades cut several times into the Grimm's shoulder, severing the limb from the rest of the monster's body. This earned her a satisfyingly pained howl from the monster, but what she failed to notice was that the other Grimm had already leapt to attack.

Caught off-guard, Sirocca found herself in its bear-hug, slowly having difficulty breathing. "Guh... L-let me go... Damnit..." She vainly tried to struggle and squirm free of the monster's grip, but failed.

Just as she lost consciousness, the last thing she remembered was a single black scythe, tinged with purple, flying mere inches from her face, and a fading voice seeming to be shouting at her, something like "Don't give up yet!"

And everything faded to black.

* * *

Sirocca suddenly sat up screaming, sweating heavily, and panting. Her heart still beat frantically, and she could still feel everything vividly. A quick glance around the room revealed she was back in the waking world. She put a hand to her head, trying to calm down her breathing and heartbeat. "A dream... Nothing but a bad dream..."

Her scream earlier had brought Myst suddenly tumbling out of bed and faceplanting on the floor. The human girl was still getting up and rubbing her nose. "I beg thee, pray never wake me up with thy nightmarish screams. If thou wouldst do it again I may end up unintentionally digging three knuckles in thy throat."

"It... It all felt too real, Myst," Sirocca whispered. "It's gotta be a warning."

This got the human girl to be serious – Sirocca _never_ called her by name unless it was either a matter of life and death, or if she was telling something of severe importance.

However, Myst noted from the clock on the far wall that it was only past 1 in the morning, and decided to calm the Faunus girl first. She sat on the edge of the tiger girl's bed and gently rubbed her back. "Perhaps... But I wouldst advise thee to try to rest for now. Thou wouldst do thyself more harm than good in trying to think about it right now." She turned her head slightly, a concerned look on her face. "I can sleep beside thee, if you wouldst like it."

Sirocca just nodded, then eased back down. "Thanks, Myst." Within a few minutes she was asleep again.

The next morning, Sirocca was uncharacteristically silent as they made their way down to the canteen. Myst was still worried from last night, but decided she would let the Faunus girl open up first.

As they turned a corner, Sirocca suddenly stopped, making the human girl beside her stop as well. Some distance away in front of them, Cardin and his team were standing with their backs to them. However, the tiger girl's gaze was locked on the person facing them.

The person Sirocca was looking at was defiantly staring down the entire Team CRDL and angrily saying something. The tiger Faunus felt she had somehow seen or heard her before…

But where?

* * *

Next chapter will be from the viewpoint of Hawk's OC, Holly.

As always, reviews and/or comments are welcomed, greatly appreciated, although not necessarily required.

Sanguis out.

Not. :P


	5. 5: A Flash of Cognizance - Holly

A/N: Here's the second part, told from Holly's POV. Posted with permission from the creator himself, xXHawkeye1337Xx.

Again and again, as I always say (and I will never tire of saying this):

**DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN RWBY. ALL CREDIT GOES TO (RWBYGOD) MONTY OUM AND ROOSTERTEETH.**

The spotlights are on...

* * *

Holly knew he'd do this.

She'd waited for Dante to show up hours ago. Now she was lost in the forest. Holly braced one foot against a tree, ready to climb. But a sound behind her forced her to whirl.

"Who's there?" She called.

Silence.

Holly narrowed her eyes, and scanned the trees left to right.

Nothing.

She slipped off the near invisible hair band on her head, and her wolf-like ears flipped up. They were sore from being held down for so long, but Holly ignored it.

She carefully picked her way through the brush, until she heard it again. It almost sounded like… Breathing…

"Tch…" Holly extended her right hand, and her scythe materialized in a flash of purple light. Holly twirled it about herself, stopping to hold it with both hands. She listened carefully. Yes, it was definitely breathing… But who…?

She got her answer as a Beowulf lurched forward from a bush beside her. Holly spun her blade around her body, and caught the beast's middle. The body split in two and fell behind a tree. Holly tensed. Her ears twitched as she heard them, and then smelled them.

'Two, maybe three more' she thought, raising her blade over her shoulder. She turned her body, and her eyes widened as a Beowulf swung a clawed paw at her. She batted it away then spun, her weapon slashing the beast's knees and throat. Yet another lunged for her, and succeeded in tackling her to the ground. Holly channeled her aura into her weapon, and blasted the beast off of her. She jumped back to her feet, and held the scythe low by her side. Black and purple smoke swirled around her. Holly smirked, her form flickering before re-appearing in front of the Beowulf. She winked, and downward slash decapitated the beast instantly. Holly crouched, the staff of her scythe across her shoulders, and glanced from side to side. She smirked. Holly remained in place for several moments before she relaxed.

"Scaredy-wulves." She said, standing up. But then the breathing was behind her. Holly jerked around, but the Beowulf was quicker. Holly screamed as it clawed her back, leaving three rips in her coat, through her shirt skin. Holly spun into a roundhouse kick that hit the Beowulf squarely in the jaw, and sent it flying.

"That's what you get, punk!" She bellowed, but gasped as the pain kicked in. Holly began jogging through the trees. She held her scythe one-handed on her right, and stopped.

"Guh… L-Let me go, Damnit… " A voice choked out. Holly sliced through a tall bush, and found herself in a small clearing. Two Ursaj stood, one bear-hugging a Faunus girl and slowly cutting off her breathing, while the other seemed to tend to its arm severed at the shoulder.

She looked like she was defeated. Holly set her jaw. She had worn that look once.

Holly sprung through the brush, catching the attention of both of the large Grimm. She aimed, and threw her scythe. It had just begun to cleave through one of the Ursaj's arms

"Don't give up!" Holly shouted. But then everything began to fade-

"Whoa!" Holly woke with a scream. She lay on her back on the roof of Beacon's dorm building, the sky dark, and littered with glinting stars. She blinked. Had it all been a dream?

"W… What?" She lifted her arm over her eyes. Her watch said 1:05 AM.

"Oh, jeez… I fell asleep?" Holly yawned, and stretched her arm behind her head. She should've gone back inside the dorm with Dante hours ago. Ah well. The wolf-girl stood, stretched on her tip-toes with a sigh, and swung over the side of the roof onto the balcony of her dorm room. She went inside and kicked off her combat boots before collapsing into bed. She briefly wondered who the girl in the dream was. She'd never seen her before…

And why had the dream felt so real?

* * *

The next morning, Holly stood in the hall, hands balled into lethal fists at her sides. She glared ahead as Cardin and his team blocked her path. She had intended to grab breakfast, changed into her usual combat boots, T-shirt and coat, and had left her dorm room without Dante. But Cardin and Russel had stopped her, and Dove and Sky had soon followed suit. The four of them formed a wall of insults that infuriated Holly further and further.

"Tell me real quick, do you like bacon, or jerky flavored dog treats?" Cardin sneered.

Dove was next. "What were you planning on getting for breakfast, some kibble?"

"Hey Cardin, whaddaya bet her roommate has her sleep on a mat outside their room, 'stead of in a bed?" Russell added. The team exploded into laughter. Holly set her jaw. She'd had enough.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll all get out of my way. Unless you'd like a lesson in pain." Holly rolled up the sleeve of her coat, revealing her cross tattoo. She would've formed her weapon instantly, but over Cardin's shoulder, she could see two girls walking toward them.

And one of them was the girl from the dream, standing there looking straight at her with a shocked face.

* * *

There you have it.

Reviews, comments, reactions welcome.

Sanguis out.


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